City polls residents, picks date for trick or treat

West Licking Joint Fire District firefighters hand out candy during trick-or-treat in 2014. Based on a recent online poll, the city selected a date for trick-or-treat this year, but not everyone is pleased with it.(Photo: File photo)

PATASKALA - October isn't even here yet, and the city already is finding itself on the defensive concerning this year's date for trick or treat.

Prior to picking a date for the popular Halloween candy grab, the city posted an online poll, asking residents to select one of five potential dates. The options were Oct. 27 through Oct. 31.

The city received more than 800 responses, with Oct. 29 garnering the most votes.

More than 320 people, or 40.02 percent of the total respondents, selected that date. The next closest date was the traditional Oct. 31, which garnered nearly 250 votes, good for 30.73 percent of the total respondents. Only one of the remaining three dates, Oct. 30, received more than 10 percent of the total votes. It garnered nearly 100 votes, good for just 11.77 percent.

Based on the responses, the city selected Oct. 29 as this year's trick or treat date, with the time being from 7 to 9 p.m.

Some people applauded the choice on the city's Facebook page, while others derided it.

Football's prominent place in central Ohio, particularly the Ohio State University football, factored into the responses.

One resident wrote, "This stinks. The OSU game is at 5:30. People, you need to look at your calendars before voting next year."

Another response referenced the potential role the NFL's Monday night football game might have played in the vote. This year's game, which is televised on ESPN, falls on Oct. 31.

"Halloween should not be moved from the 31st to appease football fans," a woman wrote. "This is the most absurd and ridiculous thing I've ever seen in any of the 5 states I've lived in. The world doesn't revolve around football!"

Still other people referenced the timing, complaining 7 to 9 p.m. was too late.

"Well, it is what it is, I guess," one man wrote. "I will be taking my kids on a different night to a neighboring community that has some common sense. 7 to 9 is too late especially on a night when people will be out and about driving drunk."

Despite the social media debate, Pataskala Mayor Mike Compton said the city intends to stick with the date it selected, a date he said it chose because of the overwhelming poll response in favor of Oct. 29.

"It's not going to change," Compton said.

The city started polling residents about trick or treat in 2014.

It made the move after severe weather forced the city to move the 2013 date to a Sunday afternoon.

"This all started when we had the one year with a terrible storm, and we moved it to Sunday," Compton said. "I got so many compliments, (such as) 'It was during the day, and my kids didn't have to go out in the dark,'" Compton said. "We decided the next year to do the same, and there was a bit uproar."

The uproar prompted the city to set up the poll, and residents subsequently voted in favor of having trick or treat on a Thursday, instead of the traditional Oct. 31, which fell on a high school football Friday.

Still, not everyone was happy, with some people complaining back then, just as they are now, that football was driving the decision, not Halloween tradition.

Compton said the decision is never easy. While some parents may be concerned about missing high school, college or professional football games, other parents may be worried about weekday work schedules or their children's nonathletic activities.

"We're trying to make as many people happy as we can, but it's never going to be 100 percent," he said.

As for this year's selection, not everyone on social media was complaining.

"I personally think it's very nice the city asked for the community's input," one woman wrote. "People have conflicts and complain no matter what."